Sri Lanka says kills 28 rebels in new fighting

COLOMBO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Clashes between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger fighters in the far north killed at least 28 rebels and two government soldiers, the military said on Tuesday.

The military says it has killed scores of rebels since a six-year ceasefire between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was scrapped on Jan. 16.

The latest fighting flared in the island's northern districts killing 42 rebels and two government soldiers since Monday, the military said.

"There had been confrontations in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar and Welioya which killed 28 LTTE terrorists and two soldiers had died," said Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara.

The Tigers, fighting for an independent state for minority Tamils in the north and east of the Indian Ocean island, were not immediately available for comment.

A pro-rebel Web site said fighting continued in Mannar, Vavuniya and Polonnaruwa.

There were no independent accounts of the clashes. Analysts say both sides tend to overstate enemy losses, while playing down their own.

An estimated 70,000 people have been killed in the two-decade conflict.

The government has vowed to wipe out the Tigers militarily, fuelling fears of a protracted full-scale war.

The Colombo government has gained the upper hand in recent months, killing senior rebel figures including the Tigers' political leader and military intelligence chief. But, military analysts say the rebels have retained their strike capability and see no clear winner on the horizon.

The government scrapped the truce earlier this month, saying the Tigers had used it to regroup and rearm. Nordic truce monitors, asked to leave Sri Lanka by the government, say both sides repeatedly violates the ceasefire. (Reporting By Ranga Sirilal; Editing by Katie Nguyen)